“I’m going to chew up the league next year as well.”
KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho predicted that Kim Do-young, who dominated the KBO League with a strong hit in the 2024 season, will continue his dominance in the 2025 season. It was because the timing of producing hits was so good, and strong fourth, fifth, and foreign hitters like this year would serve as a strong backbencher.
KIA, which won the regular league championship, started training to prepare for the Korean Series at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field from the 4th. The team exercised lightly for two days on the 4th and 5th, took a rest on the 6th, and conducted night training on the 7th. Amid the semi-playoff, the team is gradually strengthening its efforts to actualize the Korean Series.
Among them, Kim Do-young, who was listed at the top of all offensive categories, is the core of the batting average. He posted a batting average of 347 (third), 38 homers (second), 109 RBIs (joint seventh), 143 runs (first), 40 steals (sixth), 420 on-base plus slugging percentage (third), and 640 on-base plus slugging percentage (first). His 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) ranks first among all hitters.
For the first time, he set a monthly record of 10 to 10 steals, the youngest 30 homers to 30 steals, natural cycling hits, and the highest number of points scored. He only had 38 to 40 steals, but he also became the first Korean player to challenge for 40 home runs to 40 steals. It is no exaggeration to say that he led Kia to win the regular league championship for the first time in seven years. Amid the fervor of Kim Do-young, Kia has set a new record of 1.25 million spectators. It was the first catalyst to attract 10 million spectators in 43 years since the inauguration of the KBO league. He is a strong candidate for MVP.
In his third year as a high school graduate and three years after joining the team, he has become the strongest hitter in the KBO League. Naturally, keen attention is paid to the question of whether he will continue his career in the next season along with his stellar performance in the Korean Series. It is closely linked not only to Kia’s performance but also to its box office success. “I will open up the dynasty of KIA when I am present,” Kim said.
Lee, who was watching Kim Do-young’s defensive training, gave a positive answer when asked by reporters whether he would be able to chew on the league next year. “His batting average did not drop even though he was aiming for a home run to hit 40 home runs and 40 steals at the end of the season. He has the timing when the ball hits and hits are made regardless of whether he hits hard or lies down.”
“It’s also important what kind of player DOYOUNG is behind him and what kind of player he supports. If you are alone, your performance may not be as good as this year’s. If you have players like (Choi) Hyung-woo and (B) Sung-bum behind you, and strong mercenaries, DOYOUNG will achieve similar performances as he did this year. He will continue to achieve around 30 home runs every year.”
In fact, Kim had a high batting average while swinging at home runs to achieve 40 home runs. He had a batting average of 362 during the month of September. As such, he was a batter who produced hits well. Choi Hyung-woo, the fourth batter of this year, had 282 home runs and 109 RBIs, and Na Sung-bum, who joined the team belatedly, also had 291 home runs and 80 RBIs, fulfilling his role as a back-rower. He had no choice but to compete with Kim and this was the reason for the explosion. The two players are important next year as well. 스포츠토토
